Means for securing knob-shanks to spindles.



T. E. CROUCH. MEANS FOR SBGURING'K'NQB SHANKS T0 SPINDLES.

1,026,497. 7 Patented May 14, 1912.

VENT 0R r to-oucae I I I Aflomej V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS E. CROUCH, on sTAMronD, CoNNECTICUT, AssreNon To THE YALE & TowNE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

MEANS roe SECURING KNOB-SHANKS To srINDLEs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 10, 1912.

Patented May 14, 1912. Serial No. 670,457.

in means for securing knob shanks to spindles, the object being to provide simple and inexpensive means, whereby after the knob has been locked to the spindle, any pull on the knob or spindle will produce a wedging action between the parts, which increases with the pull, thereby absolutely preventing a separation of the spindle and knob by a pull on either.

With this object in view my invention consists in the parts and combinations of parts as will be more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view partly in section and partly in elevation showing a knob secured to a spindle, and Fig. 2 is a view on the line on m of Fig. 1.

1 represents the spindle preferably square in cross section, and 2 is the shank carrying the knob 3. This shank 2 is provided with a square socket to receive the spindle, and one wall of this socket is recessed as at 4: to receive the loose locking piece 5, which in the present instance is in form of a cylindrical pin. This recess or pocket is preferably formed by drilling a hole through the knob shank, parallel with and through one flat wall of the socket for the spindle, and preferably of a length greater than the width of the socket, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the locking piece 5 will project at its ends be yond the sides of the spindle 1. The outer open end of the recess or pocket is preferably closed by a locking screw 6*, the head of which is then out off so as to form a smooth finish to the shank.

The recess or pocket 4, for the locking piece 5, is appreciably larger than the looking piece, so as to permit the latter to have free movement in the recess, but is not sutficiently large to permit the locking piece 5 to turn so as to bring its long axis in line My invention relates to an improvement.

with the axis of the spindle, and as the looking piece and its recess are longer than the spindle socket is wide, it will be seen that when the knob 3 is removed from its spindle 1, the locking piece'will be retained within its recess and therefore cannot be lost in handling. This recess or pocket 4 and the locking piece 5 are so located and propor tioned, that the latter may rest with its top edge below the plane of the adjacent face of the spindle, so that no part of the locking piece will be above the line on which the spindle enters when the 'knob shank is pushed over the end of the spindle, hence the knob can be readily and freely moved onto or 0H, and be adjusted to proper position on the spindle.

The knob is locked to the spindle by a screw 6 which latter is inserted into an obliquely disposed threaded hole in the knob shank 2, in line with the pocket 1, so that the inner end of the screw will engage the locking piece, form a support therefor, and force the same into contact with the fiat face of the spindle 1. The inner end of the screw thus forms an inclined seat for the locking piece, the incline being upwardly toward the free end of the knob spindle, so that when the locking piece is forced into contact with the spindle, it looks the spindle to the knob, and any pull on the knob or spindle tends to cause the locking piece to ride up the inclined end of the screw, and thus bind the parts more tightly, and absolutely locking them against forcible separa tion. To release the knob from the spindle, it is simply necessary to partly withdraw the screw 6, so as to permit the locking piece to move out of contact with the spindle.

While I have shown a cylindrical pin for wedging the parts and a screw for forcing the locking piece into Contact with the spindle, I do not confine myself to such parts, as the essential feature of my invention is a loose locking piece which can be adjustably wedged between a support carried by the knob shank, and the spindle, so that an endwise pull on the knob or spindle, operates to wedge the loose locking piece against the spindle.

It is evident that many slight changes might be resorted to in the relative arrangement of parts shown and described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I would have it understood that I do not wish to confine myself to the exact construction and arrangement of parts shown and described, but

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. A knob shank having a socket for the spindle and a recess located transversely of the socket at one side thereof and communicating with the same, a locking piece within said recess and a support having an inclined face on which said locking piece rests and has movement in the direction of the length of the spindle.

2. A knob shank having a spindle socket and a recess communicating with said socket, a cylindrical clamping pin within said recess and a support having an inclined face on which said clamping pin rests and has a rolling movement.

3. A knob shank having a spindle socket and a recess communicating with said socket, the said recess being longer than the socket is wide and closed at its ends, a locking piece within said recess, the said locking piece being longer than the socket is wide, and a support having an inclined face forming a seat for said locking piece and for golding the latter in contact with the spin- 4. A knob shank having a socket for the spindle, a recess or pocket communicating with said socket, a locking piece within the pocket, and a screw secured in a diagonally disposed threaded hole in the knob shank and forming a support for the wedge.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS E. CROUCH.

Witnesses v SOI-IUYLER MERRITT, WILLIAM P. MOSELY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

